Check out Aimée Flynn’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimée Flynn.

Aimée, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My journey to photography is a wending one, and it started when I was quite young. My father was a very talented photographer, so I grew up as his constant subject and unwitting pupil. My first photography lessons were from him; “the best light is at sunrise and sunset,” “avoid harsh shadows,” “always face your subjects towards your light source.” I heard this advice long before I ever held a camera, but I suppose it was only a matter of time until that was bound to happen. I took a photography class in high school and enjoyed it, but my attention didn’t really get snagged until a trip to Italy with some family friends (also artists), and I was dubbed the “trip photographer” and a camera was plopped into my waiting hands.

I was so, so very hooked.

My husband bought me my first DSLR for our 1st anniversary, and I took actual tons of joy in capturing my loved ones and family vacations, but I always had a sort of wistful “I wish I could do this as my job” attitude. My dad, on the other hand, was a fervent and constant champion of my work, constantly telling me to start up a portfolio of my own. I always insisted he just “had dad goggles on” and waved away his encouragement. But I always loved showing him my work, the delighted smile on his face when I showed him my latest shots.

And then on Father’s Day 2017, my life was split apart because that was the day my dad died. It was awful in ways I can’t describe. I remember sitting on my couch the day after his funeral, feeling so hollow, listening to the sounds of an improbable and impromptu wedding reception happening in the basement below me, scrolling through Instagram just… searching for beauty. And through the strange rabbit hole that is social media, I stumbled upon an image I remember to this day. It was a couple in Joshua Tree, laughter and joy etched into every feature of their faces, their hair snatched by the wind and the sun splitting into a sphere behind them. It was breathtaking and real everything I ever wished I could do with a camera. “I wish I could do that,” I thought.

No.

“I’m *going* to do that.”

And so I did. Starting the next day. I grabbed my camera and didn’t look back. It’s entirely likely that my camera was my life raft in the wake of losing my father. I clung to that dream hard and worked even harder. In April of 2018, my husband I packed up our apartment in Chicago and moved across the country searching for warmth and mountains and adventurous folks who love the desert like I do, and still I chased that dream.

And it’s important you know that my business isn’t just a monument to my dad, though that is a big piece of it. But truly the things I love most in this world are wild places and people and love and connection and authenticity. Photography just happens to perfectly capture all of those things.

And, oh, do I love it so.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do? Why? And what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am an Adventure Wedding and Elopement Photographer chasing connection between people and places on this totally bananas planet we call home. For me, the very best days of my life have always been the days where I’ve felt achingly connected to the people beside me and the landscape surrounding me. I call these my “Peak Existence” days. The summit of joy and love.

That’s what I strive to deliver to my couples; Peak Existence Days. I aim to capture, as authentically as humanly possible, real people and real places and real emotions. And I strive to connect with the couples I work with! I want to be there with you every step of the way as you plan your adventure shoot/wedding/elopement, and if we happen to become friends along the way, even better.

The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
That those concerns are real and valid, it’s super easy to say “follow your dreams” but dreams, as beautiful and nourishing as they are, don’t keep the lights on or put food in your belly. While you’re starting up find a way to balance your dreams with your real day to day life. Do what you can, even if it feels like you should be doing more. And when the day comes where the path to your art presents itself, follow it.

Don’t quit. Your art is with it.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The best place to see my most recent work is:

Instagram: @aimeeflynnphoto (https://www.instagram.com/aimeeflynnphoto/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AimeeFlynnPhoto/
Webseite: https://aimeeflynnphoto.com/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aimeeflynnphoto.com/
• Email: aimeeflynnphoto@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimeeflynnphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AimeeFlynnPhoto/

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